


The moment the world fell apart

by dandelionsandsunshine



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Gen, Halloween, Tumblr: jilytober, jily death, wolfstar
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-03-07
Updated: 2021-03-07
Packaged: 2021-03-13 17:01:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 2
Words: 939
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29904240
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dandelionsandsunshine/pseuds/dandelionsandsunshine
Summary: The moment their friends found out that James and Lily were killed.
Relationships: James Potter/Lily Evans Potter, Sirius Black/Remus Lupin
Kudos: 3





	1. Sirius

Sirius Black was standing in his flat when he found out, clutching the telephone in his white knuckles.

That was the moment his world fell apart.

He saw red, and then he saw white, and then as he stumbled backward, yanking the telephone out of its socket, and fell onto his knees, his vision slowly cleared up, leaving him staring at the hard, gray floor.

Last week James had told him he would come around and help him decorate the flat. Lily had promised to visit with Harry and to bring her spare rug that didn't fit in their little Godric's Hollow cottage to cover the bloody rotten gray floor Sirius' knees were pressed against.

Two days ago, the last time he'd spoken to his best friends, it had been to assure James that picking Peter — _Pettigrew_ — to be the Potters' Secret Keeper was the right choice. Voldemort would have never suspected small, mousy Pettigrew, right?

If Sirius had ever regretted any decision in his life, this was it. He wished to every deity that existed that he could undo that decision.

Every moment in his life after Hogwarts — every _bloody_ precaution — had all come to an abrupt falter, like a cliff hanging over misty space. To fall would be the end of everything.

And, Merlin, _everything_ had fallen. Every _fucking_ thing was gone over the side of the cliff.

That's when Sirius began to see red again, because there was one person who was responsible for the deaths of the two most lovely people he had known in his life, and _that person was going to be dead by the end of the day._

He stood up slowly, shaking his hair out of his eyes, giving in to the insatiable burning that slowly consumed him, starting from his heart and spreading like wildfire to take over every inch of his body.

Sirius Black pulled out his wand and started towards the door.


	2. Remus

When Remus Lupin heard what happened, his heartbeat slowed to a near-stop, and he held his breath, waiting for Minerva to tell him he had heard her wrong, or that this was all some sort of prank to get back the Marauders after they had given her living hell at Hogwarts.

But, deep down, he knew it was true the moment she said it out loud because three hours ago when he felt that sudden pull at his chest, the twist in his stomach that jerked him upright, _he had already known._

Remus' breath turned ragged and fast, Minerva's anxious voice pushed to the back of his head, and he could do nothing but close his eyes and let the pain take over him.

Remus Lupin had lost too many people in his life — first his mother, when he was fourteen, and then his father, just a few months ago, and now two of the people he had cared the most for in his life, two infallible, indestructible forces of nature, James and Lily Potter, were also gone.

Memories pushed to the surface of his mind, Minerva McGonagall long forgotten.

The first time Remus had met James in the first-year Gryffindor boys dormitory, seeing the casual smirk on his face as he bantered easily with Sirius, his hands running through his hair, only to stop and give Remus an easy smile and invite him to join them.

The last time Remus had spoken to James, a week ago, when James had sent him a patronus message with his majestic stag form. It was barely a few sentences, but Remus could tell that James was running an exasperated hand through his hair as he said "Harry threw up over our new rug for the third time today" — and _Merlin_ , what he would give to hear that over and over again, or even just _one_ more time.

Suddenly, his thoughts jumped to Sirius. As close as Remus Lupin was to James, Sirius was his brother in every way but blood, and Remus knew that Sirius would have taken the news horribly, worse than even him.

Until a sudden realization struck him.

Sirius Black was the Potters' Secret Keeper. Which meant... that _Sirius_ had betrayed them.

The realization sent Remus' heartbeat plummeting once more, and his body was frozen in shock because how could that even be?

Sirius, loyal to a fault, Gryffindor to the core, _brother till the very end_ , could never have betrayed his best mate and the brother who had always been there for him.

And yet. There was no other explanation. A Secret Keeper could only give up the information voluntarily, and even though the Sirius he knew would rather die than cause his friends' deaths, _there was no other explanation._

Remus let out a choked sob as his hands went up to his face and the tears poured down his face.

He didn't let himself think about what that meant for his budding relationship with Sirius. Actually, he _did_ let himself think, and he came to the obvious, sickening conclusion that he didn't bloody care about Sirius Black anymore, not after he tore all of their lives apart like it was a bloody piece of paper. Not after he caused the death of the two people he was supposed to protect.

The heat spread up from his toes to his head and Remus felt the blood rush through his body.

He needed to leave. He needed to see James and Lily and _Harry_. He needed to find Sirius. He needed to do so many things, but none of them would ever fill the gaping fracture in his heart, because tonight he had lost everything.


End file.
